Lifeline Midnight Sun
by viva011
Summary: What happened when Bella ran from Alice and Jasper at the airport? What was Edward's side of the story?
1. Ready

So, I did this when I was extremely bored over the summer. It's not very good, so don't be too critical, but I thought I'd share it. Lot's of mistakes, I know. I might not ever finish it, but ill try over Christmas break or something.

Read this while listening to "Until The Day I Die" by Story Of The Year. It gives it so much insight into his character…and its what I based this off of. (Especially the end, the beginning not as much.)

Midnight Sun

______________________________________________________________________

Torment. Complete and utter torment.

How ironic was it that these past 2 hours, flying at an impossibly slow speed to phoenix, have felt longer than my whole, miserable life? 7 decades of "living" an inhuman life felt painstakingly long. And now, being a grand total of 2 heart-aching days away from the one thing I loved, and it felt irrevocably miserable.

Knowing that I was less than 30 minutes away from her made it even harder to stay unmoving in my seat.

Emmett was sitting a row ahead. He had taken advantage of the first class seating, spreading out the seat into a bed position and looking through airplane magazines with ridiculous advertisements. He enjoyed looking through the pages, mentally laughing to himself when ad's for exercise equipment popped occasionally.

He mentally pictured himself sitting in the exercise seat, and pulling on the weights with such little effort that they completely shattered into hundreds of black chunks onto the ground.

_ That would be awesome. _His mental voice rang in approval.

I almost believe that he is completely incapable of _not_ daydreaming about his strength. He took pride in it, almost to the point of being unbearable. I rolled my eyes at his thoughts.

Carlisle was seated to my right, his seat slightly inclined back and his eyes scanning the pages of a new medical journal.

I writhed in jealously of how content he looked.

I smacked my head back against the headrest and glared up at the off-white plane ceiling. I could have probably run faster than this plane!

_Patience, Edward. We're almost there. _

Patience? The word seemed like a different language to me now. I've had enough patience in my lifetime. All I wanted now was to see her, waiting for me as I walked out from the gate. To see her face light up once she saw me. To see her cheeks fade gently into a light rosy color as she blushed.

To feel her in my arms, safe again...

My knuckles turned pure white as I gripped the armrests with as much force I could possibly manage without breaking the fragile things.

_We have about 10 minutes now, Edward. Just calm down. _

Carlisle's calming thoughts reverberated in my head. I gasped in a deep breath, closing my eyes. I knew he was right. I tried to remind myself that I was so close. Just a little bit longer...

My mind, so open and free to think of everything at once, traveled back to memories of the recent past.

As much as it plagued me to remember it, the first day in biology, Bella's first day at Forks High School, was the first thing my mind went to. Her intoxicating scent aroused up the monster I had spent nearly a century to hide. It still amazed me that, even after telling her, _warning_ her that I always, constantly wanted to kill her, she still wanted to be with me. It's even more amazing that her scent, once a devil, haunting me, became my lifeline.

Memories of Bella flew by rapidly in my head, changing from scene to scene.

Images of the car accident, Port Angeles, the first night I stayed with her, the meadow, right down to just 3 days ago, as she sat there, smiling next to Esme, my mother, as she watched us play baseball.

James.

How rapidly her future changed in Alice's mind. If I had done nothing, it would have been over right there. But my defending her created an entirely different problem.

It was his ultimate game.

Why her?

It was entirely my fault. I had chosen to expose her like that, to take her with us while I _knew _that James and his coven were lurking around. The thought of them hearing us had never crossed my mind.

Must she always be in danger around me? Is there any way she could be safe, and still be with me?

It seemed as if the odds were always against us.

"Edward, we're here_._"

I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I had almost missed Carlisle's voice. He had not actually _talked_ to me since we had gotten on the plane. Hearing his actual voice again caught me by surprise.

The plane had already begun the decent onto Phoenix ten minutes ahead of schedule. The warm relieving pang of excitement flowed through every nerve in my body. She was _so_ close...

Carlisle had already begun to put his things back together. He placed his book gently back into his black, leather bag, and then closed it shut and held it in his lap.

That bag. I hated that he brought it. Of course, being a doctor, it's a habit of his to bring it anywhere he went, just incase of an emergency. He loved helping people at any chance he could. But the fact that he brought it now irritated me. No one was going to need that bag. _No one._

"I brought it just in case, Edward. It's better to be safe than sorry." He had clearly seen my eyes glaring at it in disgust.

"But it's also just as a hassle to bring it when no one will need it." I retorted back, irritation fervent in my voice.

He sighed.

"It's just a precaution."

I looked away from his face angrily. His golden eyes were deep with several emotions that I couldn't look at them anymore. It was if he _expected_ the worst.

"I'm not expecting anything," He knew me to well to the point that it seemed he could read _my_ mind. _But I would rather be prepared just incase._

I avoided his gaze and stared at the blurring, grey city outside that grew in size each passing second as we descended.

_James is still on the loose, Edward._

"And you think I don't know that?"

_I didn't say that. I'm just saying that anything can still happen. Bella will be safe with us, but, with her being human, we still need to be prepared._

I took a loud, unnecessary breath to calm myself. I was hoping he would take it as an intimation to end the conversation.

_Everything will be fine, Edward. Just lighten up, dude! He's just being careful!_ Emmett's mental voice appeared out of nowhere. I glanced up at him, and his face rose into his huge, bear-like grin. I couldn't help but half-smile back, and then continued to gaze outside the window. My irritation wasn't going to go away until I saw Bella myself.

The plane had finally touched the ground, and was maneuvering around to get to its destined gate. Flight attendants were walking down the aisle, checking up on passengers and doing last minute checking. As was to be expected, many of the women attendants took a notice to my family. I still found it ironic how we looked attractive to our prey. "Dazzling" as Bella had called it.

We finally arrived at our gate, and the attendants were beginning to open the door. Everyone had begun to get out of his or her seats and prepare their things.

Carlisle got up, stretched (he had gotten used to doing human things now), and picked up his suitcase in his hand. As Emmett rose from his seat without effort, he grinned hugely at a little boy across the aisle. The little boy smiled back. His mom, however, flinched and put her arms reflexively around the boy.

Mmhmm… apparently little children have no sense of self-preservation as well.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Bella had the self-preservation skill of a little child. It was the only way she could possibly stay with me.

"What are we going to do once we meet up with everyone?" Emmett asked as we began walking down the aisle towards the exit.

"We need to make sure Bella has settled things with her parents first before moving on." Carlisle added, "We can't just leave with her without tell her parents."

"But she can't stay here. With the constant sunlight, we wouldn't be able to help her at all."

"Luckily today it's cloudy enough for us to be outside."

I hadn't even thought of Bella's mother. Her father was taken care of, but her mother would be extremely worried if Bella never showed up at her house after saying she was coming home. But Bella being here was too dangerous, James knew she was here by now.

"We can figure out the parent situation later. Right now we have to get her safe." My comment made quieted them.

We had finally left the airplane, and were walking up towards the gate entrance. Soon enough, I would see Bella, waiting for me.

The desire to feel her warmth, to have her in my arms was uncontrollably. My breath became shaky and ragged. So close...so soon...

We walked at human pace through the gates towards the exit where family members and friends awaited their arrivals. Our gate was relatively close to the exit, but the impossibly sluggish gait that we walked made it seem as if we were crawling hundreds of miles. I let out a frustrated sigh as we continued our façade down towards the exit. For the first time, wished I could use my ability in public. How could this be so incredibly exasperating?

The gate entrance was crowded with people of different ethnicities, all waiting for their loved ones.

Finally...

Reunions were already taking place with the people behind us. Smiles. Laughs. Everyone was _happy_.

So close...she's here...

And then, like a wrecking ball, Alice's anguished thoughts hit my own, making me disoriented. Her thoughts seemed distant, but close enough for them to be strong in my head.

Visions, several visions that she had seen in the past couple days were replaying in her head. Her mind was distraught as she was looking at every one, trying to find something that I couldn't point out. She was looking for something,_ anything, _but I couldn't make out what it was.

_Edward. _Alice's agonized pixie-like voice sent a chill down my spine.

Something was very wrong.


	2. Ruin

If you're really reading this, thanks! I hope you like it! =]

* * *

My breathing accelerated at a blistering pace. I felt my body recoil in on itself, hunching my shoulders in and tightening my stance.

What was going on? What had Alice seen?

Carlisle and Emmett had noticed my sudden alertness, and tensed up similarly next to me.

_What's wrong, Edward? What happened? _Carlisle questioned in thought. I allowed myself a glance at him, shaking my head, and then returning my gaze forward. His butterscotch eyes never left my face. His eyebrows furrowed down and his eyes narrowed in confusion. I ignored his stare and focused my thoughts forward towards Alice.

Alice was sitting alone not more than 100 feet in front of us.

She was _alone_.

Neither Jasper nor Bella were with her.

I almost snarled in frustration as I walked in a ridiculously slow human pace towards her, with Emmett and Carlisle close behind.

Alice's face was covered in her stone- hard hands, her mind replaying a scene that seemed to have happened not so long ago.

"Alice! What is going on?" I nearly roared, but I kept my voice at a level in which no human could hear.

"Bella."

She never looked up. She kept her face in her arms, shaking her head left to right in a repetitive motion, forcing her spiky hair to tremble.

"Alice!" Emmett whispered towards her. "What the hell happened?"

Her thoughts shifted suddenly, changing into a recent memory. It was the same exact gate terminal, and 3 familiar faces were seated on a bench.

_They were all seated in the same, low row of chairs Alice was sitting in now, Bella sitting uncomfortably in between the two. Bella seemed restless, twitching and shifting uncontrollably in her seat, her eyes never leaving her old, black tennis shoes. Alice and Jasper glanced from the corner of their eyes her every time she struggled, both confused. Alice shared a questioning glance at Jasper, who discreetly shrugged his shoulders and continued watching the passing security line. _

_What was wrong with her? _I thought along with them.

_Bella suddenly reached for her coat pocket and pulled out a crinkly, white envelope. Alice quickly recognized it as the letter Bella had written to her mother._

A letter? I thought to myself, but Alice did not seem surprised by the item.

_"My letter." Bella muttered softly, and placed on Alice's leather bag. _

_Alice nodded once, taking the letter and gently pushing it into the top flap of her bag. _

Several minutes passed, and Alice skipped through the memory until Bella finally spoke.

_"I think I'll eat now." She said, rising from her seat. _

I noticed that Bella said this right after our plane was announced to be ten minutes ahead of schedule. Alice's current thoughts suggested that she now realized that as well.

_Alice offered to go with her, but Bella declined the offer, asking Jasper to go with her instead. _

_Alice was just as confused as I was, but thought nothing of it, and sat back down. _

_The vision shifted abruptly to Bella running down the airport terminal._

And then the memory ended.

"Jasper will be back any second." Alice stuttered through her hands.

At that exact moment, Jasper was at her side, glancing quickly at her and staring anxiously at me.

"I don't understand." He stared straight into my eyes with confusion and worry, "She asked-"

"She asked to go to the restroom. The room has 2 exits."

_Why? _

The busy scene around me seemed to melt with the information that flew into my ears. It all came too fast that I felt I had missed something. _Anything. _Maybe it was all a misunderstanding.

Carlisle was the first to break the silence. "Where has she gone to?" He asked, his gaze still fixed on me as I gaped blankly into space.

"James. But _why_? Her mother had called recently. Was that the reason?" She frantically thought out loud. "The mirrored room..." She let out a soft cry. "Bella..."

Alice abruptly lifted her head up, her eyes penetrating into me. It seemed that the dark purplish circles under her eyes seemed to get darker through the anguish.

_The letter. Her mother._

We both reflexively reached for her black bag, nearly ripping through the flap and pulling out the crinkled envelope.

Alice moved her hands away, putting them in her lap. Her forehead was creased into little arches, her lips slightly quivering. She was holding back sobs.

I ripped through the envelope and pulled out a beige piece of stationary paper from the hotel Bella had been staying at.

The letter was clearly not for her mother.

Edward,

No...no...no..

I love you. I am so sorry.

He has my mom, and I have to try. I know it may not work. I am so very, very sorry.

Don't be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them it will be a miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Alice especially, please.

And please, please don't come after him. That's what he wants, I think. I can't bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I can ask you now. For me.

I love you. Forgive me.

Bella.

My breath had turned into desperate gasps for air, nearly turning into hyperventilation. I could feel my face change, my jaw gliding slowly down, my eyes widened, scanning over the words again. They couldn't be real.

No...no...no...no...

Bella...

Alice could no longer hold back her sobs. She returned her head to her hands, and let out quiet cries.

Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper were completely astonished. I was so lost in the letter that I missed their mental screams.

_Edward! What is going on? What happened?_ They all seemed to yell in unison.

"James...he has...Bella's mother." My voice sounded strange in my own ears. So drowned out, so distant.

_Oh no..._

I couldn't look away from the letter.

Bella, my Bella, had written this to me as a final goodbye. She was risking herself to save someone she loved.

The words made no sense to me as I replayed them in my head repeatedly. Why didn't she wait? Why couldn't she have told us? We could have saved her mother without sacrificing anyone.

That didn't matter anymore. She had gone, ran away, towards a killer whose only intent was to murder her. She knew it, her letter made that clear, and yet she went willingly.

The paper began to tremble at an unnatural pace under the grasp of my hands.

That was not even the worst part. The last paragraph seemed to yell out to me, forcing me to shut my eyes and grimace at the thought.

She wanted me not to avenge her. She didn't want me to go after the monster that would kill _her_, the most important thing in my existence. She told me not to go after him, even though he would take her away from me forever.

How could she possibly _ask_ that of me? Did she think that I would be able to move on with my life if she was ever gone? Her logic was disheveled in my mind.

"The vi-vision." Alice mumbled in her cries, "I h-had seen it in the hotel ro-room." She gasped for a deep breath, "It had made no sense to me at the time. There was _no _way it could have come true." She lifted her head once more, her topaz eyes melted and glazed, but no tears could fall. She locked her gaze into mine.

"I hadn't made the connection. I didn't realize!" Her bleak voice drained from her lips. "I'm so sorry! So sorry!" She began to sob again, moving her head into Jasper's chest instead of her hands. Jasper's arms wrapped around her and raked his fingers through her spiky hair. He wasn't even trying to control our emotions now.

_She's going to die._

Her vision appeared again in her thoughts. The mirrors were crushed and broken. Red liquid dripped from the fragments of glass. Crimson, blood-lustful eyes were wide with desire.

One slender body lay motionless on the floor.

"Stop!"

I couldn't take this anymore. We couldn't just sit here. We had to do something!

"Alice! Alice, where is that mirrored room?" My body trembled with every passing second. How much time did we have left? "Alice! Where is it?!"

Alice watched me from the corner of the eyes, and then lightly jumped to her feet, her eyes scanning the surrounding airport.

"It's a dance studio. Bella had mentioned that she had taken lessons there when she was younger." She nodded towards me. _Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus_. "I know where to find her. We have to hurry, though. I don't know how much time we have."

Carlisle sprang into action. "Alice and Jasper, find the directions to this studio." He turned his attention towards me. "Edward and Emmett, find any form of transportation. Anything fast. I'll get my things together."

In a split of a second, we were all off in different directions.


	3. Race

Thanks for the awesome reviews, everyone! I'm really glad you all like it! Here's the next chapter, and I'll post the next one soon. I've finished up to the 4th chapter, and I don't have the rest, but with finals and all that stupid school stuff, I sadly don't have time to finish it in the next week. I'm hoping to finish it during Christmas break though, seeing as I don't die from finals. D8 Anywho, thanks again!

* * *

We had finally allowed ourselves to move at our natural pace, a pace so fast that, in a millisecond, we had disappeared without a trace. Yes, some people noticed, gawking at the bench where just a second ago my family had surrounded. But there was nothing to explain our sudden disappearance, and so they quickly dismissed what they had seen and moved on.

Emmett raced closed behind me as we exited the airport doors and arrived outside.

The sun was in our favor, hidden behind layers of clouds and unable to be seen. It would make maneuvering around the city much easier.

_There's a car rental station. _Emmett motioned with his mind to the right of us, down the street.

We began running again, and soon enough, we were hopping into the nearest mustang, and driving away from the station before anyone had noticed we had arrived.

I sat in the driver's seat, my feet slamming on the gas pedal as we swerved towards the entrance of the airport where the rest of my family would be waiting for me.

Bella's letter crinkled in my grasp in-between the steering wheel. I refused to let it go.

Alice and Jasper, with Carlisle right behind, were already waiting at the entrance, their feet positioned in a stance to spring right when the blue mustang veered to the side. They yanked open the doors and glided inside at the speed of sound, and suddenly, we were off again.

"Keep following the highway. It's the second exit on the right." Alice directed me as I sped down the highway.

I nodded once. I couldn't speak to anyone verbally now. I was afraid that if I tried, I might break down. All I had to worry about now was getting to this dance studio fast, and getting to Bella before James did.

But what if I didn't? What if I was too late?

I couldn't imagine what I would do. Seeing the horrid vision in Alice's mind had been enough agony for me.

That vision would haunt me forever.

Seeing it in real life, with my own eyes, however, would be completely different. How would I react? The thought had me shaking. She was my life, my only reason for living. What would I do if she were _gone_?

There would be nothing left.

She was _everything. _I needed everything about her. These past few months have felt perfect, being with her and loving her.

Going back to life without her would be utterly _impossible_.

_Than don't live without her. _My own voice murmured in my thoughts.

Suicide? Was that even possible for my kind? Vampires were practically impenetrable. It seemed as if nothing could possible end our 'lives', or whatever our lifespan was called.

No one in my family would be willing to help me if I asked him or her too. I would have to find a fight on my own, and let myself lose.

The Volturi.

They were the ultimate royal vampire family. If none of my family members would help me end my agony, they would be my last resort.

Irritate them once in their city, and it's all over.

How had it come to this?

I foot slammed on the gas pedal harder, the speedometer slowly inching towards the 120 mph mark.

_It wouldn't come to that,_ I told myself. _I would find her. Alive and safe._

"The exit's here, Edward. Turn here!" Alice squeaked from the back seat. I quickly veered the car towards the right at an extremely fast speed, missing oncoming cars by millimeters as I swerved into the exit lane and up the ramp.

"Turn left! Fifty-eighth street is only about 8 miles ahead!"

_Edward._

Carlisle's velvet voice appeared after Alice's.

_Edward, you must listen to me. _

I glared at him from the rear view mirror.

_Listen to me. If anything happens to her, you cannot blame yourself. _

The speedometer rose quickly to 150.

Carlisle finally decided to speak. "It's not your fault if she is injured, Edward. You cannot go and do something stupid and irrational even if something _does_ happen to her." Were my thoughts really that clear to him?

"It _is_ my responsibility." My voice sounded bleak, cold as ice. "I knew her being around me put her in danger, but I was willing to take the risk. If anything happens to her now, it would be _entirely_ my fault."

Carlisle sighed.

"Let us just focus on finding her safe, then."

We sped past slow-moving cars, which swerved and honked as the mustang ran past them, suddenly turning to the right at the Fifty-eighth street sign.

"Right there," Alice yelled. "There's Cactus!"

I hurriedly spun across the pavement, making an abrupt left turn. Right in front of us then, was a large, brick building. A bright yellow sign hung up from above the entrance.

_Phoenix Dance Studio_

I parallel parked quickly next to the entrance of the studio while quickly slamming the door shut and exiting the car to stare at the brick building in front of me.

An alluring, floral scent suddenly found its way to my senses. It was distant, but was strongly noticeable. Lilac, I described it. A familiar smell...

"No!"


	4. Rescue

Hey everybody! Thanks again for reading this, I'll have the last part hopefully next week. Got finals all this week, then I'm done! Wish me luck! =]

* * *

I literally tore the entrance doors off from their hinges and threw them on the side. James hadn't even bothered to lock the doors. He knew they wouldn't be any deterrence.

The scent rubbed against my throat achingly, getting stronger...more potent.

"No! NO!"

An ear-piercing scream echoed from the metal doors that led into the studio.

The doors disappeared in an instant.

The scene in front of me seemed identical to Alice's vision. My nightmare. The monster's back faced me, his back arched and on his knees and a hand at his mouth. His body leaned over a lifeless form mangled on the ground.

"BELLA!"

I raced at him, using all my force and knocking him over towards a wall of mirrors behind him. Bella's body slumped slightly from the impact.

James' face was masked into one of victory. His mouth, covered with the moist, scented red, grinned cynically at me. His eyes, filled with fresh crimson, narrowed.

I crushed his face into the already broken mirrors, and then tossed him towards Emmett and Jasper, who quickly grabbed his struggling form and did as they pleased.

I didn't care what they did to him now.

I sank to my knees next to the motionless figure that lay next to my feet.

I'm too late. It's over...it's _over...._

"Oh no, Bella, no!" I sobbed tearlessly.

Her clothes, withered and torn, were stained red from her own blood that dripped slowly now from her head and arms. She was bruised all over, every inch of her body broken or mangled in someway.

But even through her broken exterior, short, labored "thumps" reverberated from the Bella's limp body.

Was there still a chance?

"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" I begged her, scanning her body up and down. What had James _done_ to her? My arms trembled in agony.

I desperately wanted to touch her, hold her in my arms and cradle her, telling her everything would be all right, that she was safe, but it seemed as if every part of her had been shattered, and touching her would make her fall to pieces. My breathing erratically turned into hyperventilation.

She lay frozen on the hardwood floor. She still wasn't breathing. Her heart was faltering, each labored beat turning shallower and shallower.

"Carlisle!" I cried. Why wasn't he here yet? "Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" I sobbed tearlessly. Stay with me, Bella!

Carlisle was at her other side in an instant, his face masked in a professional manner, unemotional, as he began working on Bella's cut head.

He pulled out miniscule pieces of glass from her head, and gently laid them on the ground next to him. How many times had she been rammed into a mirror? I forced myself not to look at the environment around me.

Carlisle's work must have triggered pain, because suddenly, Bella let out a soft cry and gasped for air.

"Bella!"

Her throat, raspy and dry, wheezed for the air as she struggled to get a hold of enough in her lungs, her eyes still shut. I let out a short sigh in relief. _Finally_, she was breathing!

I instinctively reached out towards her, but I kept my arms back. I glanced up at Carlisle questioningly as we continued working on Bella's wounds.

"She's lost some blood, " He informed me, his voice methodical as he did his work. "but the head wound isn't deep." I sighed again in slight relief.

"Watch out for her leg," Carlisle quickly mentioned, "it's broken." I hesitantly glanced down at her legs. Her right leg twisted at an unnatural angle, slanting away from her knees, yet her calves remained pointed to the right.

I let out a strangled howl, clenching my fists. How I desperately wished that I had dealt with the monster myself, instead of handing him over to my brothers.

Emmett and Jasper had left the room with James, dealing with him outside. The metallic rips and screeches that came from the fight resounded in every direction. Quickly, it was over, and they began to gather the pieces.

"Some ribs, too, I think." Carlisle said again, breaking my train of thought. What else could possibly be wrong with her? She had been broken into pieces.

Alice appeared to my left, her face expressionless as she examined the scene in front of her.

Bella's face, once unresponsive, changed slightly into a faint grimace in pain.

"Edward." The whisper, so distant and weak, was almost completely inaudible that I nearly missed it.

It seemed as if my legs could no longer support my body weight.

"Bella, you're going to be fine." My voice trembled in anxiety. "Can you hear me, Bella? I love you." Those words weren't just to her. Even after everything I have put her through. Even after exposing her and putting her in danger, leaving her like this, I loved her. I let out a short sob.

"Edward." She whispered again, her voice heavy. The way she said my name left me heartbroken.

"Yes, I'm here." I'll always be here.

She whimpered softly. "It hurts."

I'm so sorry, Bella. So, terribly sorry...

"I know, Bella, I know." I turned my gaze towards Carlisle, who continued working on Bella's head. "Can't you do anything?" I questioned in anguish. I couldn't bear her pain any longer.

"My bag, please. " Carlisle nodded to Alice, who appeared with a black, leather bag and placed it at Carlisle's feet. My feelings for the bag, once of hatred and revulsion, became mixed. I could not have been happier that Carlisle had brought it, and would be able to help Bella now until we got to a hospital.

I despised the fact that he needed to use it.

Alice placed the bag, and then shuffled back away from Bella's bloody form, her hand to her nose.

"Hold your breath, Alice, it will help." Carlisle replied.

Bella groaned again. "Alice?"

"She's here," I answered her. "She knew where to find you."

She changed the topic suddenly. "My hand hurts..." She moaned breathlessly.

"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop." Just hold on, love.

Her reaction to my words surprised everyone. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, unfocused and fixed at the high mounted ceiling above.

"My hand is burning!" She screamed.

Burning?

My voice reflected the sheer fright I felt. "Bella?" This couldn't be happening.

"The fire," She continued to cry. Her scream sent a chill of ice through my spine. "Someone stop the fire!"

_Oh no. _Alice gasped in her thoughts.

"Carlisle! Her hand!"

"He bit her." His voice had lost its calming effect.

He was utterly appalled.

I gasped, the air catching in my throat.

I had expected what I thought was the worst, to see her dead, motionless, completely lifeless and broken body. _This_ never occurred to me now, being in the most likely situation. It seemed completely obvious that it would happen now, to Bella, as she lay dying. But my mind refused to wrap around the fact.

How could this have _happened? _

Bella, Bella, Bella, no, no, no!

_Edward. _Carlisle. He was going to ask the worst possible thing from me, something I knew I couldn't do.

I ignored him.

"Edward, you have to do it." Alice spoke in Carlisle stead as she leaned over Bella's form, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No!" I hollered at them. I couldn't. Bella deserved better than a miserable life like mine.

Bella moaned Alice's name.

"There may be a chance," Carlisle replied.

"What?" I begged. Something, _anything_! She has to stay _alive_.

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." Carlisle said, his voice still carrying the revulsion from before. He continued to work on Bella's scalp.

What?

"Will that work?" Alice asked in a whisper.

Their conversation sounded jumbled in my mind.

"I don't know," Carlisle murmured back, "But we have to hurry."

They were asking me to suck the venom out of her hand? They were asking me to fight against all my instincts, all my desire, and suck out her contaminated blood?

I wanted to do it, so badly. I wanted to do anything to save her, to keep her from a life of darkness like mine, but this request was too much.

If I tried, I would end up killing instead.

This was it, wasn't it? It was my worst nightmare coming true. Not only was Bella at the point of death by another of my kind, but she was also at risk of being killed by _me._

And that's what would happen, wouldn't it? I would try to save her, try to suck all the venom out and try to give her back a normal, human life. But the lust for her perfect blood would take over me, and I would succumb to the monster inside of me, killing her instead.

I roared in frustration aloud.

Or I could do nothing. I could sit here with her, help her through the three torturous days of transformation. I could take her life away from her in a completely worse way, forcing her to live a life of darkness.

I couldn't allow myself to do that to her.

But what other choices did I have? The other seemed completely impossible.

"Carlisle, I..." I stuttered. "I don't know if I can do that."

I wanted him to give me some advice, any advice. I wanted him to tell me what to do, to tell me what was right and wrong in this situation, to make the decision easier and to help me do the right thing for Bella.

"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand."

Bella began shaking and trembling on the floor, her back arching in pain, and an agonized scream ripping through her lungs.

"Edward!" She shrieked, opening her eyes again and scanning her surroundings until her chocolate eyes landed on me. I could only remember the same hell-like pain that I felt when Carlisle had bitten me, and I was watching Bella go through the same thing. I could do nothing about it.

Those same eyes, except a dark, crimson color appeared in my mind, and I shuddered in anguish.

I stared into her face, still beautiful even through the cuts and the bruises that distorted her features. Her skin was pallid, even though her skin had always been unhealthily white. She had already begun to look like a corpse.

"Alice, get me something to brace her leg!" Carlisle yelled, bending over Bella. He turned his gaze to me. "Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late."

Was it really impossible? No vampire had ever been so close, so in love with another human. We were an exception. If Bella and I were an exception now, couldn't that also mean that it was possible to suck the venom out without killing her?


End file.
